At around this time every year I wander through the days leading up to his birthday, trying my hardest to accept that he is one year older. The universal experience of the mother.I could write about how difficult it is to comprehend five.....because five is a whole new stage and a much bigger world.But instead I will just say... I am so very happy that he is five. I am so very sad that he is five. I snapped this photo of him a few days ago while we were discussing his birthday presents. He hasn't asked for much and I'm sticking to my golden present rule. On Saturday we will celebrate pirate style with his Montessori friends and on Sunday we will stay home, eat pancakes for breakfast and bask in the sweetness of five-year-old Che.

OH! and what a beautiful 5 year old he is going to be! I remember when M & O turned 5....it was a handful.... not their attitude but how they held up a whole hand (5 fingers) when someone would ask 'how old are you'. 5 rocks!Enjoy, its a lovely time!!!X

Jodi, I love your golden rule for gift giving - I will be sure to remember this one for my girls. We're not huge present givers either, tending to opt for simpler gifts. Beautiful photo of your big boy :)

One of my earliest memories is of the day i turned 5 & i stood on a little stool in front of the bathroom mirror holding up 5 fingers. I was a whole hand old & i was so excited!When we have our bubba we will try to stick to a rule similar to yours. We both agree that less is more when it comes to "stuff" for our child, our house is very small & looks cluttered very easily. It will be difficult to get relatives & friends to stick to this rule. I am often shocked when i visit a friend of mine & i see the amount of toys, mostly cheap, plastic garbage that barely gets touched as her children have too many toys to choose from.

I wish I could bottle up a bit of Toddler C and save my lovely sixteen month old forever...his skin and the way he says dog and the way he runs around giggling madly every night before bed.I imagine I too will be emotional when he reaches five...I will emotional when he reaches two!

A big thing in his life too, he will remember his birthday and first day of school...most people remember their first day. Are you planning anything extra special for Che's first day at school?P.s He looks so sweet and cosy here!

His eyes are all innocence and joy! If only we could pop them in a jar like fire flies...just for a day or two. It is so breathtakingly beautiful watching them grow but also so breathtakingly hard. Happy birthday sweet boy : x

such a bitter sweet moment, on the one hand they are growing up and changing into the beings we want them to and on the other hand they are no longer the little beings we want them to stay as.enjoy being 5 Che and enjoy the year's new adventures.♥

I just looked back at your posts from when Che turned 2, 3, and 4! Each year seems such a tremendous leap forward - why do these little ones have to become "grown" quite so quickly? My little man is now measuring his legs against mine to see how much he is growing each day - he's not yet 2 and 1/2! I really hope that he doesn't get "bigger all the way to the sky" like he says - I am most happy for his dreams to skyrocket there, though! Happy Birthday, Mr Che :) x